Sometimes there are moments that arise that require a little method with a big impact. That’s where the Welcoming Prayer comes in. Think about it for a moment. What’s the first thing you want to do if you have a “bad” feeling? Most the time we try to suppress it. Unfortunately that approach just doesn’t work. In your effort to suppress and stamp out the intruder, you end up focusing even more attention on it. As the result, instead of conquering the “bad”, it tends to stick around and have even more control over you.

In the Welcoming Prayer, instead of going around the problem, you go through it. When you encounter bad feelings you don’t pray for them to go away, but instead you welcome them. If you are sensing fear, you literally open yourself to “Welcome the fear!”

Here is a quick description of the Welcoming Prayer method:

Focus and sink in — Feel the feeling. Don’t run away from it or fight it.

Stay with this until you really experience a connection to the feeling or emotion on not just an emotional but also a physical level.

Welcome — Affirm the rightness of where you are and acknowledge God’s presence in the moment by saying: “Welcome, [fear/anger/etc.].”

Don’t just say this and move on. Repeat it and sit with the feeling until you experience a genuine sense that you welcome it, that you are not fighting against it.

Let go — Say “God, I give you my [fear/anger/etc.],” or one of the other phrasings if you find it more meaningful.

• I let go of my desire for security and survival.
• I let go of my desire for esteem and affection.
• I let go of my desire for power and control.
• I let go of my desire to change the situation.

At this point, you can turn the feeling or emotion over to God and let it go. If you haven’t truly felt it and welcomed it in, you may still experience resistance here. Stay in the letting go, or turn back to the focus or welcome stages to revisit again.

Like to learn more about the Welcoming Prayer?

The Practice of Welcoming Prayer by Cherry Haisten